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Winners of 2012 Indiana International Guitar Festival and Competition announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 26, 2012

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Romanian guitarist Silviu Ciulei is the winner of the Open Division of the third annual Indiana International Guitar Festival and Competition, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music announced today (Oct. 26).

Silviu Ciulei, grand-prize winner of the third annual Indiana International Guitar Festival and Competition. Photo by Tom Yeiser.

Print-Quality Photo

Ciulei received the competition's top prize of $1,500 plus a sponsor prize of a handmade guitar by world-renowned luthier Kolya Panhuyzen, valued at $12,000.

The festival and competition, which took place Oct. 20 and 21, featured competitors from around the world, including 21 in the Open Division and 17 in the Youth Division.

"This year's festival and competition was highlighted by the presence of our guests -- Martha Masters, Edoardo Catemario and Tom Yeiser -- the generous handmade guitar gift by Kolya Panhuyzen and the extreme high quality of the players," said Ernesto Bitetti, chair of the Jacobs Guitar Department. "You cannot get any better competition in this country."

The winners are:

Open Division (ages 19-35)

• First Prize: Silviu Ciulei (Romania)
• Second Prize: Jesus Serrano (Mexico)
• Third Prize: Renato Serrano (Chile)
• Fourth Prize: Jeremy Collins (United States)

Senior Youth Division (ages 14-18)

• First Prize: Jennifer Kim (United States)
• Second Prize: Augustus Woodrow-Tomizuka (United States/Netherlands)
• Third Prize: Vijay Meunier (United States)
• Fourth Prize: William Johnson (United States)

Junior Youth Division (ages 14 and under)

• First Prize: Sedona Farber (United States)
• Second Prize: Aidan Wiley-Lippke (United States)
• Third Prize: Tristan Britt (United States)

Classical guitarist Silviu Octavian Ciulei was born in Constanta, Romania. He began his musical studies when he was six years old and attended the Queen Mary High School of Arts in Constanta. By age 13, he had won his first prize in guitar performance, at the Romanian National Music Olympics, and performed his first concerto, with the nationally acclaimed Black Sea Philharmonic Orchestra.

Since coming to the United States in 2004, Ciulei has won an impressive collection of prizes and has performed in master classes for many renowned artists.

He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Middle Tennessee State University, where he studied guitar performance with William Yelverton. He recently graduated with a Master of Music in Guitar Performance from Florida State University's College of Music, where he was awarded a graduate teaching assistantship and the graduate dean's fellowship. This is one of the largest awards ever to be given to a graduate student for guitar at Florida State.

Ciulei is currently working on a Doctor of Music in Guitar Performance degree at Florida State, where he is graduate teaching assistant to Bruce Holzman.

The 2012 Indiana International Guitar Festival and Competition was hosted by the IU Jacobs School of Music and sponsored by Aranjuez Strings, Bloomington Classical Guitar Society, Kolya Panhuyzen Classical Guitar Maker, Indiana University Office of International Affairs and Sweet Owen Sound.